The world's first climate change refugees will be relocated from their Pacific island home to Papua New Guinea by March next year. The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation says 40 families from north of Ontong Java in the Solomon Island's Malaita Province will be relocated to Bougainville.

Flooding has made parts of their islands completely uninhabitable and the islands are expected to be fully submerged by 2015. The relocation is estimated to cost the Autonomous Bougainville and PNG Government millions of dollars over the next six years. One third of the 1,500 residents have refused to leave the islands.